How We Created a Vision:People and Process

Process for Creating the Vision

To create a vision for the future of transportation and communities in Utah, a team of experts gathered over a two-year period to share knowledge and extensively research and discuss options for designing communities and transportation infrastructure. Members of the Transportation and Communities Action Team were selected by Governor Gary Herbert and Envision Utah to represent a spectrum of professional experience and political affiliations. Team members included transportation officials, mayors, legislators, city planners, developers, and other experts from across the state.

From 2013 to 2015, the action team met to identify Utahns’ choices related to transportation and communities, create scenarios for public input, and synthesize a vision for the future. The process of creating this vision also included the following components:

A 2014 values study

This study was conducted by Heart+Mind Strategies to identify (1) what factors Utahns view as affecting their quality of life the most and (2) the underlying emotions and values tied to those factors. The study concluded that Utahns want to spend less time driving and commuting, so they can save money and have more time to spend doing other activities, like being with their friends and families.

A 2014 land availability and market study

This study was commissioned to determine where development is likely to occur in the future. The primary investigator in this study, RCLCO, took into consideration where vacant land is located, where market demand is the strongest, and what types of housing and other development are likely to be needed by Utahns. To download a complete report of the findings of this study, click here.

The “Build Your 2050 Utah” web app

This app allowed Utahns to identify what factors concerning transportation and communities are most important to them and to visualize the effect certain decisions would have. More than 3,000 people across Utah gave input through the app, and the information gathered indicates that Utahns want the following:

Neighborhoods with a variety of housing types.

Amenities like jobs and shopping that are close to where people live.

An array of convenient and affordable transportation options in most communities.

Envision Tomorrow Plus modeling software

Using this software, a variety of population growth patterns were modeled to show what Utah might look like in 2050. These projections differed in how places developed, the amount of land consumed by development, the size of single-family lots, the variety of housing types, the extent of different transportation options, and the extent to which Utah’s urban and suburban areas would create a pattern of mixed-use centers.

The action team used this information to create four different scenarios for the future of transportation and communities in Utah. These scenarios differed in where community and transportation development occurs, what the development includes and how it is designed, how much land is developed, and the availability of transportation options. These scenarios were presented to the public in the Your Utah, Your Future survey in spring 2015, and 52,845 Utahns weighed in.

After receiving public input on the four scenarios, the action team met to frame a vision, including goals and strategies, to achieve what Utahns said they wanted for transportation and communities in 2050.